


Just a Cookout Dad and a Loving Mother

by JaneBonBon



Category: OFF (Game)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Other, Slow Build, Slow Burn, and player/bonnie x zacharie, but i digress, there will be batter x oc
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-19 05:27:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29994582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaneBonBon/pseuds/JaneBonBon
Summary: The Batter and Zacharie end up in the world of Earth alongside their player, Bonnie. Batter and Zacharie must acquaint themselves with this new world and norms. This story will take place from the perspective of the Batter unless otherwise specified.
Kudos: 2





	1. The First Dawn of a New Era, a New, Impure World

It had been only one night since Batter and Zacharie had made it to the other side with Bonnie. A portal to another world, Earth. His puppeteer’s homeland. It was by no means perfect, no no, not at all. He saw the death and destruction that lined every very corner, enough that even poor sweet simple Bonnie was able to recognise the abundant inequity of this world. He wanted nothing more than to rid the world of those injustices by force, but alas, Bonnie held him on a short leash as she had quite expected it. Confiscating his bats at first was a bad idea. It left the man somehow more irritable than he already was. But it was a necessary step when the two had to first adjust to Bonnie’s apartment. Had she not, everyone was in agreement (even Batter himself, begrudgingly) that he would have caused some sort of property damage just from pure confusion and fear with all the new things this world had to offer.

One such instance was the first morning that the three had all spent together when they were considering all their options. Bonnie had decided to make some breakfast as they all discussed what to do. How to act, the customs of her world, and all the questions that come with entering a completely separate reality. Bonnie was sitting at the little kitchen table with the two as she waited for her breakfast to cook, mocha in hand.

“Right, yes… That’s the sun. You shouldn’t look directly at it. At night, I’ll have to show you the moon and the stars.” She explained as she sipped her drink. The poor girl looked like she hadn’t slept a wink. Her mind had raced all night, and she spent the night trying to figure out more proper arrangements for the duo’s sudden appearance.

“Why shouldn’t I?” Batter had retorted back quite quickly. “And this Moon… Why can’t we see it now?” Bonnie’s mouth had opened to respond, but she visibly stalled and hesitated, as if debating if such an argument was worth the trouble.

“Well...” The cotton-candy girl began. “Sometimes you can see it in the day, actually. But that isn’t the point here… I want to talk about getting you two settled in here more properly.”

“More properly, mon amie? I would say your hospitality thus far has proven itself enough, no?” The little merchant piped up. His hands were propping up his masked face as he tilted his head.

Bonnie stalled again, clearly from the lack of sleep she had gotten. Giving a gentle sigh, she held her head in a hand as she tried to formulate the words in her mind. Batter watched her with intent. It wasn’t like her to act like this. He had never seen her so restless and sleep-deprived. Back within his world, she could hardly be pried to press onward on their adventures without sleep every day. Even if she would constantly rouse in her sleep to ensure that the Batter (and occasionally Zacharie) had not left her. Despite such choppy sleep, she always got it without so much as a second thought. Without much realizing it, the Batter became aware that he was frowning as he had locked eyes with Bonnie. A rare look of emotion painted across his face; worry.

“Oh... Don’t look at me like that, I’m alright. Just… Finding my words.” Her words were timid and sheepish and she looked aside as she spoke them, averting her gaze toward the Batter.

“Did you not sleep?” The Batter firmly pressed. His eyebrows knitted down in a look of concern, as Zacharie looked on with quiet eyes. Of course, the merchant was more one to observe than anything.

“Ah- well… Shoot, is it that obvio-?”

_Ding!_

The two men had nearly shot up from their seats at the noise. They were no less acquainted with the food of this world, no less the appliances. Zacharie had seemed to go into that of a defensive position, while Batter had taken to a more offensive one. Reaching for a bat that wasn’t there, he hissed in annoyance. Bonnie looked dumbfounded for a moment before cracking a bit of a smile, and then breaking into a roaring fit of laughter. Batter immediately felt himself become embarrassed at the notion. His puppeteer was laughing at him. Have mercy. His face tinted into a pink as he looked away from the two.

“Ah… I’m not quite sure I understand, mon chéri. What is so funny exactly?” Zach questioned. He still seemed on edge, but his bristling hair had seemed to flatten down.

“The- It’s… It’s only a toaster! Oh my God… The look on both of your faces…” She was snickering, giggling at the two as she calmed herself down. Zacharie seemed to be the one of the two of them taking it in stride, beginning to chuckle along with her. It was mocking, that laugh. Batter hated it.

“Enough.” Batter snapped. Silence demanded itself and it was given. The pair’s eyes were both now on him. He gritted his teeth “You were… Talking about accommodations? What did you mean by that?” Batter decided that he wouldn’t bring up her exhausted nature. Not yet. He would get her to sleep in due time, but he wanted to hear her fears. Especially since this was not only his puppeteer, but someone he saw as his own … Nevermind that.

“Oh, right!” Bonnie looked relieved. Perhaps that he wasn’t mad, or perhaps the fact that Batter decided to drop the topic of her sleep. “Uhm… Well, I want to get you both proper beds. And we can go out today to get you two more changes of clothes, and…”

“Ah, ah, ah… There’s no need to worry about such frivolous things, mon lapin. Batter can sleep on your couch, and we can share a bed, no?” Zacharie had cut Bonnibelle off, and the implications of his flirting were enough to make his blood boil.

“Non, éloigne-toi de la fille, marchand.” The Batter hissed. It wasn’t enough to make Zacharie flinch, he only gave that damned chuckle in response. The two would occasionally make conversation in French when either of them wanted to speak without Bonnie’s intervention. She finally seemed to stop stalling in her flustered state after Batter had hissed toward him for his flirting.

“U-Um… Well, I want you both to have your own beds. I’m lucky enough that I have two rooms for you. It won’t be much trouble to get mattresses, I just… Well.. I worry about the other part, more...” Bonnie drifted as she bit her lower lip.

“The other part?” Batter perked. “Clothes, correct? Why are you so worried?” Bonnie seemed to grimace, her eyes avoiding each of them.

“Well… It’s just that you two can be a bit… Eccentric. And that would be noticeable in public, in a store, where we would have to get clothes.” Bonnie finally seemed to admit. Zacharie let out a small gasp in a mocking manner as if offended. He glared toward him to allow Bonnie to continue speaking “I would go out myself and get you both clothes on my own… But… I don’t know what would fit you both. It would be better to go to a store with you both. But I’m setting ground rules for you both to follow here and now.”

Ground rules? When had Bonnie gotten so assertive? Batter was almost impressed, but he was just taken aback by her pure seriousness. The look in her eyes, her tone, even her posture was different. It wasn’t like he wasn’t going to take her seriously, far from it, actually. Batter watched her with transfixed attention, clinging onto each word. He wasn’t one to disobey the word of a Goddess. And so he listened.

“Starting off… The world doesn’t really, uhm, take kindly to non-humans. Batter, I know you have that second set of eyes, but around other people never open them. It could cause some major problems. It’s not like we don’t have magic and mages in this world, but… It would be better if people didn’t know where you came from. Zacharie… You and your wings will be fine. I have a friend myself who has wings like yours. Just expect to have some unkind people, as rude as they may be. Try not to engage, that’s all. Do you both understand the first rule?”

The both of them nodded in compliance. He could idly guess Zacharie’s reason for going along with Bonnie’s words but he tried not to think of the pair’s mutual affections.

“Good!” She chirped happily. “Secondly… While I’ve been in your world, I’ve been absent from this one, so… Well. That same winged friend I have is a bit worried about me. I haven’t quite responded to her yet… But I have to come up with an alibi for my disappearance. Without her thinking that you two have kidnapped me or worse.”

Of course it shouldn’t have been a surprise that someone as sweet and kindly as Bonnie had people worried about her in her own world, it still surprised him nonetheless. Not that she had such kind friends, but that others could care about her as much as he does. Batter gave an acknowledging nod.

“So you need us to play along in this story? What did you have in mind?” Batter was idly drumming his fingers against the table as he spoke.

“Well...” She smiled. “You two are my new roommates. I found you when I went on a spur-of-the-moment trip. But to make this story believable, we need to get both of your rooms set up and get you some other clothes. Drea is going to want to see me pretty much immediately, and I don’t want to keep her worrying.”

Zacharie had already gotten that damned smile, and chuckled. “Drea, is it? Aaah.. I see… This must be the name of your other winged friend, no?” His feathers flapped themselves a bit in a light anticipation, not unlike a cat rubbing against someone’s legs.

“Yes, that’s right. She’s very nice, but she just may not like you two out of suspicion at first. But I promise you she’s very kind.” Bonnie assured.

Batter was hardly paying attention to the characteristics of this woman. He would handle her in whatever way he pleased, violent or otherwise if Bonnie was on the line. Almost as if the little pink girl had read his mind, she snapped her fingers to get his attention, her expression serious.

“Batter. This rule is for you. This world does not need your purifying. Do **_not_** start a fight. I absolutely mean it. You could be taken away for causing a fight. Neither of us want that, okay?” Almost as if she couldn’t keep such a hard demeanor, Bonnie’s expression and tone softened toward the end of her little speech. He found that endearing how she couldn’t even hold such an expression. But he was also conflicted. How was he supposed to protect her? But nonetheless…

“I… I understand.” He responded after hesitating. His tone was flat as always, true to his character. But Bonnie seemed delighted that she didn’t need to fight him over the notion. Her lips curled up into a warm smile, and she grinned.

“Okay… Okay… Now, let’s get ready to get you two some Earthling clothes!” Bonnie cheered.

Batter was hardly thrilled about the venture, but he relented. He couldn’t stop it, it was all along for the plan, after all. And he wasn’t one to doubt Bonnibelle.

_She was his Goddess, after all._


	2. Malls, Mazes, Mischief, and Misery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trio reach the mall to do some shopping for clothes to secure Bonnie's plan. It doesn't go as planned, however.

The Mall was... Different from his own ‘mall’. Less confusing and winding, but still confusing and large in its own right. In the sense that he had no damned clue where the hell anything led. But Bonnie seemed well acquainted with the area, and led the two from her wheelchair. Batter was following her pointed directions as he wheeled her. Zacharie had nearly insisted on being the one to help Bonnie around, but he didn’t give him any such privilege.

Bonnie was such a small and fragile girl, Batter hardly trusted himself with the poor girl. She tripped over her own feet and was prone to nearly collapsing when walking on her own so back in his own world Batter had taken to carrying the small girl on his back. It wasn’t like she weighed all that much. Despite her small, short, and petite build, Bonnie was actually quite creative. It was no shock to Batter, as she had to be some kind of inventive to tilt the scales in her favor. 

What did surprise not only him, but Zacharie as well, was the mode of transportation to the mall that was used. Batter had expected to walk there, or take a monorail to the mall, but he was surprised to realize that Bonnie was going to be their conductor to the mall. In a strange looking monorail that she had insisted was a ‘car’. But Batter was hesitant to think such a train car without tracks could exist. Zacharie seemed to get over his initial shock more quickly than he, enough to slip into the front seat of the vehicle, leaving Batter alone in the back seat. While he did mind it greatly and nearly put up a fight, he decided against it when looking at Bonnie’s tired eyes. 

They had all made it to the mall unscathed, and Batter had watched the scenery of this strange world as they ventured out onto this escapade. Green lined every hillside not in metal, but soft grass. He noted how it squished under his boots and something within him enjoyed that feeling. It was better than the endless cold of metal that lined every inch of his world. The air was lighter to breathe, as well. There was hardly any smoke to be seen at all, and Batter had wondered more than once what it is that he must be breathing in instead. Another one of the endless questions to ask Bonnie after she had gotten some rest, of course. 

Bonnie had told the two to stop in the middle of a large plaza-like area. Batter had obliged, however never taking his hands off of the guiding handles at the back of her wheelchair. Part of him worried what would happen if someone else swept her away. Of course, she could use her emergency breaks, but… The Batter’s hands anxiously flexed onto the handles. It wasn’t like his bat at all, but it was something that helped alleviate some kind of stress at least. 

Zacharie had taken to wandering not far off to the community piano, playing a few notes as he toyed with the large instrument. Bonnie seemed amused by it, but turned her head away to think as she held her cheek in her hand. She was softly mumbling to herself. It seemed that she was deciding which clothing stores the trio should enter, as her hands wavered pointing to store to store as she mumbled too softly to be heard.

Batter was unsure why, surely they must all be the same? Then again, these stores seemed to operate much differently than the ones in his own world. Merchants like Zacharie were the only people who really sold items, including clothing, so to be in a building lined with so many storefronts… It was an interesting sight to behold at least. Batter himself seemed to find himself entranced by the glowing LED signs that were plastered over the front of every storefront. Something about them made him feel like a moth drawn to a flame, even in such a strange and confusing world.

“Batter-- Batter? Are you there?” 

The small voice made itself known, cutting through the fixated state that he found himself in. Batter glanced downward toward her, giving a small hum in acknowledgement. He wasn’t about to admit how he had gotten so pointlessly distracted by such trivial lights in her world, but, it seemed she had noticed herself. He silently prayed that Bonnie wouldn’t bring such a tedious thing up. Luckily enough for him, Bonnie didn’t seem to bring it up. She simply gave him a happy smile, continuing to speak.

“Well, I think that store over there would do nicely for you two… It’s a simple men’s store, you can try whatever you’d like on, but I can help you.” Bonnie hummed, as if thinking. “I’m better at picking out my own clothes, but I could try, at least.”   
  
Batter opened his mouth to respond, but Zacharie intervenes between the two. Chipper as ever, his smile was obvious from behind his mask.   
  
“Ah, mon ami, mi amour, I’ve returned.” He chuckled, as if mocking Batter for interrupting he and Bonnie’s conversation. “I hear we’ve decided on a destination… But mon petite lapin… I do have a special request to ask of you.” The merchant had leaned himself closer toward Bonnie, outstretching a hand to press into her soft pink curled hair. The Batter growled, lurching his own hand to grip onto Zacharie’s wrist. The other seemed to jolt, and he took satisfaction in at least partially managing to shake the merchant. 

“Ah… There’s no need for that, Batt-” He was cut off by a hissed tone as Batter loomed over the smaller masked man.

“ Ne flirte pas avec mon chou. Elle n'est pas votre trésor à chérir. ” His voice rumbled as The Batter’s eyes narrowed. He could feel his teeth sharpen, ever slightly. _ Not good. Don’t get worked up here.  _ He had to remind himself. Batter took in a deep breath to calm himself, but never let his eyes leave Zacharie.    
  
“ Vous ne pouvez pas toujours faire ça, Batteur. Elle a grandi, tu sais. ” Zacharie sighed in a breath. “Mademoiselle  Janey sera à moi un jour, vous savez. ” He grinned at the prod towards Batter, snickering to himself. Batter wasted no hesitation in squeezing his hand around Zacharie’s wrist, pressing hard enough for his nails to have left a mark into his skin. Zach yelped in response, as he seemed clearly irritated by the turn of events, even if they were entirely predictable. Before Bonnie could even get a word in to scold the Batter for his behavior, the masked man responded first. 

“Ay! You cannot harm the merchant!” He barked towards him.

“Perhaps not  _ in there _ , but I certainly can here.” The Batter remarked coldly.   
  
“Batter! Remember the rule! You  _ promised _ me.” Bonnie hissed. She was turned aside in her chair to face the Batter who was behind her. A pang of regret filled him, and he let out an inaudible grumble as he released the merchant’s hand. He moved it back, not daring to take another move towards Bonnie.

“Yes, you should remember your promises more often, Batter.” His words seemed to pout as he rubbed his wrist with his opposite hand. Bonnie sighed in annoyance as she shifted back into her normal position in her chair.

“Boys, boys, _ enough _ . Both of you.” She grumbled. “Please, let’s get ourselves into the store and get you both something before we get kicked out.”

Batter nodded, obliging Bonnie’s wishes as he wheeled her along toward the store’s men’s section.  _ What was it that she said? That we were eccentric? It was best not to dwell in one place to draw attention, then. This was the best course of action. _ His Goddess was never wrong. And for that, he would protect her with his very life.

…

It didn’t take long for both of them to find suitable clothes. Bonnie dwelled towards the sports section to obtain clothes that fit his ‘aesthetic’, whatever that meant. As for the merchant, he seemed to pick out his own clothes quite independently. It wasn’t like he had tried to do the same, but Bonnie seemed to reject most of what the Batter had picked out as ‘not matching’ whatever that meant. There was alot of things he was lost on, but one thing was for certain. Batter seemed to had become a clothes rack for Bonnie to place clothes she deemed suitable for the man. 

The Batter seemed to grumble. He hated the collared fit of most of the clothes that were picked out. Something about it just seemed to bother him. It scratched and prodded at his neck quite stiffly, and the tough fabric just rubbed him the wrong way. But Bonnie insisted that the clothes were nice on him, and that he didn’t need to wear the collared ones all the time. That relieved him in some sense, but he still dreaded having to wear them anyway.

Something about it reminded him of his own youth. Growing up as nobility he was expected to be proper and tidy. Clean, scratchy fitting clothes plagued his childhood, and he loathed every second of it. Perhaps that was why he had relented as he had, wearing his own choice of peculiar clothes. One thing that never seemed to change was his cold and proper demenor. It was a hard habit to break, but it wasn’t one that he seemed needed to change anytime soon, anyway. To be cold and logical was to be expected of him. Nothing less. 

And yet… Here he was. In the middle of an unfamiliar world. An unfamiliar store with unfamiliar and strange clothes.  _ So why did it feel wrong?  _ The Batter briefly hung his head in a sigh.

“Something brought you down, mon ami?” That damned voice. The only other person who really knew who the Batter truly was. But not a word was spoken to it to Bonnie. He was nervous that the mischievous masked man would have relished in the fact of revealing such a ‘secret’ as it had become. The Batter hesitated as he looked over to the man.

Admittedly, Zacharie seemed to have grasped this whole clothing thing much better than he had. Perhaps he was just slow, but he just didn’t understand it as well as he or Bonnie. Zacharie was wearing a spliced cream and black and white plaid shirt with his typical pink-hearted tee underneath it with black ripped jeans to match. Something about how well he was adjusting compared to him seemed to anger him. Tilting his head to the side he gave a short huffed sound.

“It’s nothing of your concern, Merchant.” The Batter snapped. Zacharie blinked for a moment, staying in place as his wings seemed to flutter in thought. It annoyed him, but he wasn’t going to voice such a complaint. It would only cause him to do it more to annoy him. The merchant hummed, giving an animated shrug.

“Fine, fine, mon ami,  _ suit _ yourself.” Zacharie seemed to be snickering to himself at the pun as Bonnie emerged nearby with a groan. 

“Ugh… Besides that, I think we’re all set here, you two.” Bonnie chirped. Her voice was chipper but her face looked nearly completely exhausted. The Batter felt some pang of emotion for her.  _ It would be best to get her home soon.  _ He thought. The Batter nodded at Bonnie’s direction toward the ‘registers’ as she had explained them.

…

After the shopping ordeal, the trio began their exit. Zacharie stepped in front of Bonnie’s wheelchair. He gave a small tsking sound as he blocked their path, halting their progress.

“Ah, ah! You so rudely cut me off the last time, Batter.” He began, chuckling with that damned laugh. 

“Well? What is it now, Zacharie?” He had to suppress a sigh of disapproval. After all, all he wanted was to get Bonnie home to get her some rest. 

“I wanted to make a small detour before we headed home. Janey, do you know if there happens to be a music store in this mall?”  _ A music store? _ Batter squinted in Zacharie’s direction. What on earth was this  playfully mischievous merchant planning?

“Ah, well, of course! It’s over that way.” Bonnibelle pointed. Zacharie looked over himself, taking in the neon sign of the music store. “But… Why do you want to go there?” Her head tilted.

“To play you music, of course!” Zacharie chirped. “I was going to try to get my hands on a guitar. It would be romantic to play for you, no?”

  
“Not a chance. We’re headed home now Zacharie.” The Batter was in no mood for arguing or compromising in any sort of the sense. Zacharie opened his mouth to respond, but Bonnie was faster to interject into the conversation.

“Here, Zacharie. We’ll wait for you in the lobby. Go on and get yourself a guitar, I trust you.” Her small hand reached out to hand over her little bunny backpack. Zacharie seemed delighted, skipping off to run and get the guitar as quickly as he could manage. Batter huffed in annoyance, glancing down toward Bonnie.

“You’re exhausted. I can see it in your eyes. We need to get you home so you can get some proper rest.” His tone wasn’t scolding, far from it, but it hardly showed but a twinge of emotion. Bonnie turned herself in her chair once more to face the Batter, speaking to him more directly. 

“Maybe… But look at how happy Zacharie is. I can’t just tell him ‘no’. Besides, he won’t be long, I know it.” Perhaps she couldn’t tell him no, but Batter certainly could. He let out a reluctant sigh, gripping the squishy handles of the wheelchair once more in anxiousness.

It wasn’t long before Batter heard the quick, fast-approaching tapping of feet and he glanced in the direction of the sound moments too late. A winged woman had run her way full force towards the Batter. Her hand was reeled back, and before he knew it, his head was turned to the side with force from being slapped. It was hard enough that it would most definitely leave a mark later on. He wasn’t sure of who this was, or why she had slapped him, but needless to say, he was not keen on this woman. Before he could properly process it, though, she attempted to push him onto his back. This effort was futile due to the Batter’s stance, and his build. 

The Batter’s head turned as he struggled to keep his lower eyes closed. But he kept his promises. He was about to open his mouth to speak, before the smaller woman cut him off once more.

“Who are you, and what the hell are you doing with her? Get away, you creep!” She barked. And then it all seemed to click in his head. Wings. She has wings. Bonnie has a winged friend. What was her name again?    
  
“...You must be Drea.” He remarked, looking towards the lady with a particular spark in his eye. This only seemed to infuriate the supposed Drea further, and Batter was slapped onto his opposite cheek this time. This time, before she could speak, a small, frantic voice cut through the growing anxious noise of the mall’s clearing. It was clear that they were causing a scene.

“Drea! Stop it- Stop! This is Batter, he’s _ nice _ ! Stop! Please?” Bonnie’s anxious voice pleaded, begged for her to stop. It seemed to startle the woman, as she shook her head.

“Oh god, don’t tell me you’ve got Stolkholm Syndrome already.”    
  
“No! He didn’t kidnap me, this is my roommate and-” 

“Ah, It appears I’ve come at an inopportune time, no?” That chuckle broke through the noise as all of their attention was drawn to Zacharie, now lugging a cased guitar over his shoulder. His chuckling continued as he walked over, placing the white bunny backpack into Bonnie’s lap. “There you are, mon amie. Thank y--”

“Oh my GOD, this one has a mask? What are you hiding, and what do you want with her?!” Drea barked. Zacharie jolted, his eyes widening. Immediately, his hands raised up in the defensive.

“Ah, ah… Nothing but her heart, I assure you, ha ha. I’m her second roommate. Zacharie, a pleasure to meet you, but the mask stays on.” The merchant’s lighthearted banter might have gotten a chuckle or a small flustered look from Bonnie, but in such a tense situation, Drea nearly flew off the handle to attack this mischievous bastard. Batter hardly had time to feel a sense of justice for his actions, before men dressed in black approached the small group.

“We’re going to have to ask you all to leave the mall. We’re escorting you all out.”


End file.
